By Edmund Mingle
Tuesday, 11 March 2008
SAMIA Nkrumah, the daughter of Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, has confirmed recent media speculation that she intends to contest for a parliamentary seat on the ticket of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) in the December elections.
At present, the leadership of the CPP, founded by her father, is discussing various seats in the Nzema area in the Western Region to decide which one she can contest, Samia said in an interview with the Times in Accra on Saturday.
Although Samia, based in Rome, Italy, has been visiting Ghana in recent times, she says her latest trip is "more purposeful and urgent." She arrived in the country last Tuesday, March 4.
"I am here to see what role I can play politically to help strengthen the CPP," she said.
Asked whether she has a particular constituency in mind, she said although it was her wish to contest any constituency to serve the nation, the constitutional requirements binding aspiring Members of Parliament limit her options to the Nzema area where she hails from.
"This is a matter that has to be discussed and decided on by the party leadership without making hasty moves," she said.Samia, 48, a journalist and consultant on diasporan affairs and pan-Africanism in Italy and the United States of America, says she is ready for Ghana politics despite the fact that she is relatively new to politics in Ghana.
Although she was invited by the party’s leadership to join in the campaign for political power, she said "I would have come anyway because I need to connect with my people."
Her coming back to Ghana, she said, was important because like many other Nkrumaists abroad, she has been waiting for the rejuvenation of the CPP since they could not make any effective contributions and decisions from outside.
Touching on the chances of the CPP in the December elections, Samia who plans relocating to Ghana in June with her family for good, said she was optimistic that the party would win power.
"The CPP will never die. The rejuvenated CPP of today stands the chance of being a credible alternative.
"The party is growing in popularity and there is a very strong support that is bound to translate into votes," she said.
Asked whether she would consider persuading her brother Sekou to join the CPP, she said that Sekou Nkrumah, who is now with the National Democratic Congress, is mature and an independent man who cannot be told what decisions to make.
"I dare not tell Sekou what to do!" she said, but believed that Sekou would have joined the CPP if at the time of his joining the NDC, the CPP had been vibrant.
Although she would be happy if her brother joined the CPP, she said she did not have a problem with which parties Sekou and other Nkrumaists joined provided they continued to promote the ideals of Nkrumah.
She said as children of Dr. Nkrumah, "we serve as symbols of his vision and inspiration" for rapid socio-economic development and pan-Africanism.
Samia is married to an Italian and they have a 10-year-old son named Kwame.
She is the second of three children born to Dr Kwame Nkrumah and his wife, Fathia, an Egyptian.
The eldest is Gamal; Sekou is the last born.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
NPP Rejects EC's Committee
By Edmund Mingle
Wednesday, 12 March 2008
THE New Patriotic Party (NPP) has criticised the Electoral Commission (EC) for setting up a team to investigate the alleged bloating of the Voters Register without involving political parties, and called for open and transparent stakeholder investigations into the matter.
"We do not object to the EC carrying out its own investigations. However, with the lingering of the impasse, without any open and transparent approach towards getting to the bottom of the matter, the suspicions and mistrust brewing over the register can only get worse," Nana Ohene Ntow, General Secretary of the party, said at a news conference in Accra yesterday.
The EC’s acting Head of Public Affairs and Human Resources, Samuel Yorke Aidoo, confirmed on Joy FM yesterday morning that the commission has constituted a three-member team of EC officials to investigate claims by the National Democratic Congress of an alleged bloating of the Ashanti Region Voters Register.
The development is contrary to a consensus at an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting that decided to ensure transparency, a committee comprising political party representatives, the EC and IT experts to investigate how the NDC had the alleged bloated figures on the register provided on a CD ROM.
Nana Ntow said that although the NPP respects the competence of the EC in handling its constitutional mandate, "we think the EC could act more expeditiously than it has done so far in the matter of the ongoing confusion over the voters register."
He said the issue of the alleged bloated register was a threat to the credibility of the register and that urgent efforts should be made by the EC to correct all anomalies and erase the growing negative perception about the register.
Although the IPAC is not a constitutional body whose decisions are binding, he hoped the EC would respect such consensus to demonstrate the goodwill with which the parties and the EC worked.
He said the party was worried about the growing negative perception because, as a ruling party, it is a major stakeholder in the electioneering process and would want the country to have peaceful and fair elections.
Nana Ntow condemned the NDC’s claims that the NPP was behind the alleged bloating of the register as part of attempts to rig the December elections.
"Clearly this is a baseless and mischievous fabrication calculated to put the credibility of the EC, the NPP and the whole electoral process into doubt," he said.
He said that had the NDC gone ahead to simply call the attention of the EC to the alleged anomaly in the register, they would have succeeded in convincing everyone of their noble intention.
"However, to fabricate a charge against the NPP simply betrays their sinister agenda, and confirms their earlier intention to raise doubts over the results of the upcoming elections in the most likely event of the NDC losing," the General Secretary said.
Wednesday, 12 March 2008
THE New Patriotic Party (NPP) has criticised the Electoral Commission (EC) for setting up a team to investigate the alleged bloating of the Voters Register without involving political parties, and called for open and transparent stakeholder investigations into the matter.
"We do not object to the EC carrying out its own investigations. However, with the lingering of the impasse, without any open and transparent approach towards getting to the bottom of the matter, the suspicions and mistrust brewing over the register can only get worse," Nana Ohene Ntow, General Secretary of the party, said at a news conference in Accra yesterday.
The EC’s acting Head of Public Affairs and Human Resources, Samuel Yorke Aidoo, confirmed on Joy FM yesterday morning that the commission has constituted a three-member team of EC officials to investigate claims by the National Democratic Congress of an alleged bloating of the Ashanti Region Voters Register.
The development is contrary to a consensus at an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting that decided to ensure transparency, a committee comprising political party representatives, the EC and IT experts to investigate how the NDC had the alleged bloated figures on the register provided on a CD ROM.
Nana Ntow said that although the NPP respects the competence of the EC in handling its constitutional mandate, "we think the EC could act more expeditiously than it has done so far in the matter of the ongoing confusion over the voters register."
He said the issue of the alleged bloated register was a threat to the credibility of the register and that urgent efforts should be made by the EC to correct all anomalies and erase the growing negative perception about the register.
Although the IPAC is not a constitutional body whose decisions are binding, he hoped the EC would respect such consensus to demonstrate the goodwill with which the parties and the EC worked.
He said the party was worried about the growing negative perception because, as a ruling party, it is a major stakeholder in the electioneering process and would want the country to have peaceful and fair elections.
Nana Ntow condemned the NDC’s claims that the NPP was behind the alleged bloating of the register as part of attempts to rig the December elections.
"Clearly this is a baseless and mischievous fabrication calculated to put the credibility of the EC, the NPP and the whole electoral process into doubt," he said.
He said that had the NDC gone ahead to simply call the attention of the EC to the alleged anomaly in the register, they would have succeeded in convincing everyone of their noble intention.
"However, to fabricate a charge against the NPP simply betrays their sinister agenda, and confirms their earlier intention to raise doubts over the results of the upcoming elections in the most likely event of the NDC losing," the General Secretary said.
Canadian Envoy Visits New Times Corporation
By Edmund Mingle
Thursday, 13 March 2008
The Canadian High Commissioner to Ghana, Darien Schemmer, yesterday called on the management of the New Times Corporation (NTC), as the High Commission and the corporation seek to collaborate on various initiatives.
The visit, which formed part of a tour of selected institutions in the country, provided the high commissioner the opportunity to familia-rise himself with the operations of the corporation.
It also created a platform for discussions on a number of programmes they could undertake together.
Areas of interest identified for collaboration include educational exchange programmes, training for journalists and technical staff, publication of educational materials and acquisition of equipment.
Mr Schemmer commended the corporation for its contribution to the development of the media landscape which he described as crucial to socio-economic growth.
He acknowledged the challenge facing the media in the country especially as the country prepares for the general elections which he hoped would be peaceful.
He gave the assurance that the Canadian government, through its agencies, would continue to support development programmes in Ghana towards poverty reduction as well as collaborate with the corporation.
Kofi Asuman, Managing Director of the corporation, expressed appreciation for the visit and welcomed any positive collaborative initiatives that would enhance the company’s performance.
He briefed the High Commissioner on the operations of the corporation and gave the assurance that it would continue to strive to give the public quality products and pursue its mandate as an independent state media organisation.
The High Commissioner, who was accompanied by officials from the commission, was taken round the corpora-tion’s facilities.
Thursday, 13 March 2008
The Canadian High Commissioner to Ghana, Darien Schemmer, yesterday called on the management of the New Times Corporation (NTC), as the High Commission and the corporation seek to collaborate on various initiatives.
The visit, which formed part of a tour of selected institutions in the country, provided the high commissioner the opportunity to familia-rise himself with the operations of the corporation.
It also created a platform for discussions on a number of programmes they could undertake together.
Areas of interest identified for collaboration include educational exchange programmes, training for journalists and technical staff, publication of educational materials and acquisition of equipment.
Mr Schemmer commended the corporation for its contribution to the development of the media landscape which he described as crucial to socio-economic growth.
He acknowledged the challenge facing the media in the country especially as the country prepares for the general elections which he hoped would be peaceful.
He gave the assurance that the Canadian government, through its agencies, would continue to support development programmes in Ghana towards poverty reduction as well as collaborate with the corporation.
Kofi Asuman, Managing Director of the corporation, expressed appreciation for the visit and welcomed any positive collaborative initiatives that would enhance the company’s performance.
He briefed the High Commissioner on the operations of the corporation and gave the assurance that it would continue to strive to give the public quality products and pursue its mandate as an independent state media organisation.
The High Commissioner, who was accompanied by officials from the commission, was taken round the corpora-tion’s facilities.
Lost Voters ID Cards Replacement
By Edmund Mingle
Saturday, 15 March 2008
A Voters Identity Card Replacement Exercise was started by the Electoral Commission (EC) yesterday.
The exercise, which ends on March 23, is taking place at 5,000 registrations centres throughout the country.
It aims at collecting data from registered voters who have lost their Voter ID cards, for the processing and issuance of new cards.
The exercise is the first major event towards the revision of the Voters Register expected to begin in May.
The Times found during visits to some centres at Osu and Adabraka that the exercise witnessed low patronage on the first day.There were no queues as witnessed during the registration exercises, but the officials at the centres believe the response will pick up as the exercise progresses.
The EC says the exercise is only for those who have lost their ID cards and not registration of voters.
Albert Kofi Arhin, Director of Operations at the EC told journalists yesterday that proof of the lost ID cards, such as a police report was required from the applicants.
That, he said, was part of measures to guard against double registration.
He stressed that voters cannot use the exercise for double registration since the data provided would be cross-checked against the existing data on the register.
Saturday, 15 March 2008
A Voters Identity Card Replacement Exercise was started by the Electoral Commission (EC) yesterday.
The exercise, which ends on March 23, is taking place at 5,000 registrations centres throughout the country.
It aims at collecting data from registered voters who have lost their Voter ID cards, for the processing and issuance of new cards.
The exercise is the first major event towards the revision of the Voters Register expected to begin in May.
The Times found during visits to some centres at Osu and Adabraka that the exercise witnessed low patronage on the first day.There were no queues as witnessed during the registration exercises, but the officials at the centres believe the response will pick up as the exercise progresses.
The EC says the exercise is only for those who have lost their ID cards and not registration of voters.
Albert Kofi Arhin, Director of Operations at the EC told journalists yesterday that proof of the lost ID cards, such as a police report was required from the applicants.
That, he said, was part of measures to guard against double registration.
He stressed that voters cannot use the exercise for double registration since the data provided would be cross-checked against the existing data on the register.
Parties Choose Nov. 7 For Future Elections
By Edmund Mingle, Atimpoku
Tuesday, 18 March 2008
THE four political parties with representation in Parliament have proposed that in future, Ghana’s general election should be held a month earlier, on November 7, instead of the present date of December 7.
That, the parties indicated will enable the transition period to be extended from four to eight weeks to facilitate a more efficient transition and transfer of political power from one administration to another.
The chairmen, general secretaries and policy analysts of the parties in a communiqué issued at the end of a three day retreat for political party leaders here on Sunday to develop proposed guidelines for political transitions, agreed that the extension would help to effectively accommodate election-run-offs and the resolution of any election disputes by the Supreme Court in time before the inauguration of a new president on January 7.
The proposal is one of many developed at the retreat to institutionalise structures for political transitions in order to avoid the rancour and ill-feeling that characterised the 2001 transition which marked Ghana’s change of administration from one democratically elected president to another.
However, the parties, including the New Patriotic Party, National Democratic Congress, Convention Peoples Party and People’s National Convention do not intend to have their proposals, which they want to form the basis of an Act of Parliament termed "The Political Transition Act", to be implemented in this year’s general elections.
The retreat was organised by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) under the Ghana Political Parties Programme (GPPP) which is aimed at contributing to the development of structures to consolidate Ghana’s multi-party democracy.
At present, the December 7 election date gives four weeks for all transitional arrangements to be made before the inauguration of a new president.
Where there is a run-off, the transition period is reduced to about seven days, within which the judiciary would have to resolve any petition, against the election results.
The December 7 election date is not an entrenched provision and Parliament can therefore amend it without a referendum.
Among other proposals for a smooth transition, the communiqué suggested that the outgoing administration made up of the executive and heads of ministries, departmetns and agencies, and metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies prepare comprehensive handing-over notes for submission to the Chief Justice seven days to the date of election for a smooth take-off of a new administration.
In addition, it proposed that the Chief Justice who is considered as an independent party in the transitional process, "shall within seven days of the declaration of results convene an ice-breaker meeting between the President and the President-elect to prepare the grounds for the formal transfer of power."
In the event of any election petition challenging the election results, the ice-breaker meeting should be held within three days after the settlement of the petition.
The communiqué also suggested that the President should be made to nominate all key ministers within 30 days of the declaration of election results for those nominated ministers to be part of a Joint Transition Team (JTT).
It said the outgoing ministers and government appointees should make themselves available for consultation by the new government after the inauguration.
To facilitate a smooth inauguration of the President-elect, the communiqué suggested that "Parliament shall convene 24 hours earlier to organise itself and elect a Speaker" before whom the new president would be sworn, before the January 7 inauguration.
That, the communiqué explained would avert the delays that characterised President Kufuor’s second inauguration on January 7, 2005, when Parliament delayed in electing a speaker the same day for the inauguration.
The parties called for clearly defined conditions of service for outgoing ministers for them to know their entitlements.
The parties called for the removal of ambiguities surrounding which gifts to the presidency belonged to the state and which are personal to the President.
"It is the belief of the GPPP that the issues raised if not addressed, could undermine national cohesion and the country’s democratic practice.
"Therefore, the GPPP urges all stakeholders to examine the recommendations and support their enactment into law," the communiqué said.
The proposals were made based on two papers presented by Dr Arthur Kennedy, the Communications Director of the NPP flag-bearer’s campaign team and Paul Victor Obeng, a Presidential Adviser on governmental affairs in the NDC administration.
Dr Kennedy’s paper was on "Transitional Arrangements in other countries — success and failure lessons for Ghana," while P.V. Obeng’s presentation was on "Guidelines for transitional arrangements."
Tuesday, 18 March 2008
THE four political parties with representation in Parliament have proposed that in future, Ghana’s general election should be held a month earlier, on November 7, instead of the present date of December 7.
That, the parties indicated will enable the transition period to be extended from four to eight weeks to facilitate a more efficient transition and transfer of political power from one administration to another.
The chairmen, general secretaries and policy analysts of the parties in a communiqué issued at the end of a three day retreat for political party leaders here on Sunday to develop proposed guidelines for political transitions, agreed that the extension would help to effectively accommodate election-run-offs and the resolution of any election disputes by the Supreme Court in time before the inauguration of a new president on January 7.
The proposal is one of many developed at the retreat to institutionalise structures for political transitions in order to avoid the rancour and ill-feeling that characterised the 2001 transition which marked Ghana’s change of administration from one democratically elected president to another.
However, the parties, including the New Patriotic Party, National Democratic Congress, Convention Peoples Party and People’s National Convention do not intend to have their proposals, which they want to form the basis of an Act of Parliament termed "The Political Transition Act", to be implemented in this year’s general elections.
The retreat was organised by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) under the Ghana Political Parties Programme (GPPP) which is aimed at contributing to the development of structures to consolidate Ghana’s multi-party democracy.
At present, the December 7 election date gives four weeks for all transitional arrangements to be made before the inauguration of a new president.
Where there is a run-off, the transition period is reduced to about seven days, within which the judiciary would have to resolve any petition, against the election results.
The December 7 election date is not an entrenched provision and Parliament can therefore amend it without a referendum.
Among other proposals for a smooth transition, the communiqué suggested that the outgoing administration made up of the executive and heads of ministries, departmetns and agencies, and metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies prepare comprehensive handing-over notes for submission to the Chief Justice seven days to the date of election for a smooth take-off of a new administration.
In addition, it proposed that the Chief Justice who is considered as an independent party in the transitional process, "shall within seven days of the declaration of results convene an ice-breaker meeting between the President and the President-elect to prepare the grounds for the formal transfer of power."
In the event of any election petition challenging the election results, the ice-breaker meeting should be held within three days after the settlement of the petition.
The communiqué also suggested that the President should be made to nominate all key ministers within 30 days of the declaration of election results for those nominated ministers to be part of a Joint Transition Team (JTT).
It said the outgoing ministers and government appointees should make themselves available for consultation by the new government after the inauguration.
To facilitate a smooth inauguration of the President-elect, the communiqué suggested that "Parliament shall convene 24 hours earlier to organise itself and elect a Speaker" before whom the new president would be sworn, before the January 7 inauguration.
That, the communiqué explained would avert the delays that characterised President Kufuor’s second inauguration on January 7, 2005, when Parliament delayed in electing a speaker the same day for the inauguration.
The parties called for clearly defined conditions of service for outgoing ministers for them to know their entitlements.
The parties called for the removal of ambiguities surrounding which gifts to the presidency belonged to the state and which are personal to the President.
"It is the belief of the GPPP that the issues raised if not addressed, could undermine national cohesion and the country’s democratic practice.
"Therefore, the GPPP urges all stakeholders to examine the recommendations and support their enactment into law," the communiqué said.
The proposals were made based on two papers presented by Dr Arthur Kennedy, the Communications Director of the NPP flag-bearer’s campaign team and Paul Victor Obeng, a Presidential Adviser on governmental affairs in the NDC administration.
Dr Kennedy’s paper was on "Transitional Arrangements in other countries — success and failure lessons for Ghana," while P.V. Obeng’s presentation was on "Guidelines for transitional arrangements."
Sunday, February 17, 2008
PRESIDENT GIVES MESSAGE OF LOVE
By Samuel Amoako, Edmund Mingle and Francis Xah.
Friday, 15 February 2008
PRESIDENT J. A. Kufuor started his last State of the Nation Address to Parliament on a light-hearted note, pointing out that although he was giving it on February 14, St Valentine’s Day, the date had not been chosen by him.
He joked that fate had brought him to the House on that date because "I want to leave this House with an effusion of love for both sides of the divide. So in the spirit of love, let me wish each of you a Happy Valentine Day."
He added that the leadership of the House should ensure an adequate supply of the food of love — chocolate, in this case Ghana’s own chocolate – apparently a reference to the celebration of National Chocolate Day yesterday.
Looking relaxed and confident, President Kufuor said Ghana has been doing progressively well under his administration and is enjoying tremendous goodwill from both the local and international communities as a result of the performance of the economy over the past seven years.
He said the progress recorded in the past years has proven beyond doubt that prudent economic policies have been implemented.He said the successful and spectacular issuance of Euro-bond on the London Stock Exchange to raise 750 million dollars was a positive indication of the performance of the economy.
The ability of the economy to withstand the heavy shocks of the rising price of crude oil, the dramatic redenomination of the cedi without incident and the flocking of many reputable banks into the country also indicated the excellent performance of the economy.
Further evidence of the consistent progress was the Gross Domestic Product (GSP), which even in the face of many difficulties, has moved beyond 6.5 per cent currently, and was expected to pass the eight per cent mark within the next three years.
With this trend, the President said the country should be able to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of reducing poverty by half ahead of schedule.
President Kufuor said there was a socially sensitive development framework already in place and called on the nation to build on it to promote growth which will reflect in the pockets of the people generally.
He briefed the House on what has been achieved in various sectors of the economy including education, health, infrastructure, energy, agriculture and employment.
On education, he said the government has since 2001 used resources from the HIPC Fund, budget allocations and the Ghana Education Trust Fund to rehabilitate broken down educational institutions from basic through secondary to tertiary level.
Other initiatives which have been implemented, he said, included the Capitation Grant, the School Feeding Programme and the improved students’ loan scheme, all of which have contributed to increase intake of pupils and students.
He said under the new educational po-licy all the 38 Teacher Training Colleges were being upgraded to diploma awarding institutions.
On health, he said regional hospitals and district health centres have been rehabilitated under a robust health delivery programme while attention was being focused on disease prevention and promotion of healthy life styles
The President listed the roads that have been reconstructed under the government’s vigorous infrastructure development and said 1,000 kilometres of feeder roads have been surfaced nationwide while l4,800 kilometre have undergone rehabilitation in addition to 84 bridges built.
The rehabilitation of the railways, he said will commence in the course of the year using 90 million dollars of the proceeds from the Euro-bond as leverage with a consortium.
On energy, President Kufuor said the implementation of the medium-to-long-term policy would provide the country’s energy requirements for industrialisation.
The government’s intention now was to work towards adding value to agricultural produce especially cocoa, and welcomed both local and foreign investors to the sector.
The President said a total of 200,000 jobs were created in 2007 as against 120,000 in 2006.
He noted with satisfaction that the fight against corruption has found a new ally in Parliament which last year saw public hearings of the Public Accounts Committee sittings.
He said the committee’s proactive stance demonstrated an appreciation that concerns about corruption were more helpful when they go beyond mere complaints.
President Kufuor spoke about Ghana was making great strides towards a more inclusive society, adding that both genders were presented at the top in all units of the public service.
Referring to the forthcoming general election he said it was regrettable that some people have chosen the marketing strategy of presenting their opponents in the worst possible light.
"I dare say they might do better, if they focused more on what they would do differently if they received the people’s mandate."
Friday, 15 February 2008
PRESIDENT J. A. Kufuor started his last State of the Nation Address to Parliament on a light-hearted note, pointing out that although he was giving it on February 14, St Valentine’s Day, the date had not been chosen by him.
He joked that fate had brought him to the House on that date because "I want to leave this House with an effusion of love for both sides of the divide. So in the spirit of love, let me wish each of you a Happy Valentine Day."
He added that the leadership of the House should ensure an adequate supply of the food of love — chocolate, in this case Ghana’s own chocolate – apparently a reference to the celebration of National Chocolate Day yesterday.
Looking relaxed and confident, President Kufuor said Ghana has been doing progressively well under his administration and is enjoying tremendous goodwill from both the local and international communities as a result of the performance of the economy over the past seven years.
He said the progress recorded in the past years has proven beyond doubt that prudent economic policies have been implemented.He said the successful and spectacular issuance of Euro-bond on the London Stock Exchange to raise 750 million dollars was a positive indication of the performance of the economy.
The ability of the economy to withstand the heavy shocks of the rising price of crude oil, the dramatic redenomination of the cedi without incident and the flocking of many reputable banks into the country also indicated the excellent performance of the economy.
Further evidence of the consistent progress was the Gross Domestic Product (GSP), which even in the face of many difficulties, has moved beyond 6.5 per cent currently, and was expected to pass the eight per cent mark within the next three years.
With this trend, the President said the country should be able to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of reducing poverty by half ahead of schedule.
President Kufuor said there was a socially sensitive development framework already in place and called on the nation to build on it to promote growth which will reflect in the pockets of the people generally.
He briefed the House on what has been achieved in various sectors of the economy including education, health, infrastructure, energy, agriculture and employment.
On education, he said the government has since 2001 used resources from the HIPC Fund, budget allocations and the Ghana Education Trust Fund to rehabilitate broken down educational institutions from basic through secondary to tertiary level.
Other initiatives which have been implemented, he said, included the Capitation Grant, the School Feeding Programme and the improved students’ loan scheme, all of which have contributed to increase intake of pupils and students.
He said under the new educational po-licy all the 38 Teacher Training Colleges were being upgraded to diploma awarding institutions.
On health, he said regional hospitals and district health centres have been rehabilitated under a robust health delivery programme while attention was being focused on disease prevention and promotion of healthy life styles
The President listed the roads that have been reconstructed under the government’s vigorous infrastructure development and said 1,000 kilometres of feeder roads have been surfaced nationwide while l4,800 kilometre have undergone rehabilitation in addition to 84 bridges built.
The rehabilitation of the railways, he said will commence in the course of the year using 90 million dollars of the proceeds from the Euro-bond as leverage with a consortium.
On energy, President Kufuor said the implementation of the medium-to-long-term policy would provide the country’s energy requirements for industrialisation.
The government’s intention now was to work towards adding value to agricultural produce especially cocoa, and welcomed both local and foreign investors to the sector.
The President said a total of 200,000 jobs were created in 2007 as against 120,000 in 2006.
He noted with satisfaction that the fight against corruption has found a new ally in Parliament which last year saw public hearings of the Public Accounts Committee sittings.
He said the committee’s proactive stance demonstrated an appreciation that concerns about corruption were more helpful when they go beyond mere complaints.
President Kufuor spoke about Ghana was making great strides towards a more inclusive society, adding that both genders were presented at the top in all units of the public service.
Referring to the forthcoming general election he said it was regrettable that some people have chosen the marketing strategy of presenting their opponents in the worst possible light.
"I dare say they might do better, if they focused more on what they would do differently if they received the people’s mandate."
African, German Writers Discuss Common Challenges
By Edmund Mingle
Saturday, 16 February 2008
The challenges facing writers in the literature industry, especially in Africa, were the focus of discussion at a two-day historic meeting between the Pan-African Writers Association (PAWA) and the German Writers Union (GWU) in Accra that began last Sunday.
The problems confronting the writers include difficulties in securing publishers for the works, poor marketing and distributions structures and distortions in translations and low patronage.
However the challenges discussed did not take away the beauty of the historic meeting and its purpose of creating a platform for intercultural dialogue and collaboration between the two groups towards promoting the literary industry as well as improving the welfare of writers in Africa and Germany.
The meeting which set a good foundation for an effective cooperation between African and German writers had the theme: "Writers meeting in Accra: looking ahead."
Organised in collaboration with the Ghana Association of Writers and with support from the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the meeting was also attended by leaders of the two bodies, renowned writers, critics and poets from Ghana, South Africa and Germany.
And the meeting did look ahead judging from discussions which sought identify shortfalls in the literature industry and develop ways to address them for the industry to effectively play its role in socio-economic development on nations.
Some of the topics were the "Relevance of literature in modern African society," "The rights of writers," "The role of Writers’ Associations" and "Intercultural dialogue."
Manu Herbstein, a distinguished novelist from South Africa, in his presentation on the rights of writers, illustrated the frustrations writers go through to secure publishers for their works.
For instance, he said it took him many years of failed promises from publishers before he got his award-winning book, "AMA, The story of the Atlantic Slave Trade"published.
Professor Atukwei Okai, Secretary-General of PAWA, described Mr. Herbstein’s frustrations with AMA, as the tip of the iceberg.
"There are many problems facing writers in Africa," he said, adding that in Ghana for instance, "publishers are bent on concentrating their resources in a hunt for government guaranteed textbooks at the expense of the development of general literature."
Imre Torok, President of GWU, who led the German team to the meeting, suggested that the PAWA should find ways of engaging publishers for enhanced collaboration for the publishers to understand the need to support writers.
He said in Germany, there was a high level of collaboration between the two parties, thereby providing a framework ensuring that publishers were enjoined to publish for writers work.
For his part, Setheli Ashong-Katai, a poet, said it was time for writers to institute measures to establish their own publishing house to avoid such frustrations.
"If we pull our resources together, we will realise that publishing is not all that expensive rather than continuously mourning over frustrations," he told his colleagues.
On the issue of publishing in local language, the participants were of the view that there was a need for African governments to make deliberate efforts to increase the use of local languages which reflect the identity of Africans, otherwise the languages will become extinct.
Dr. Mohammed Ben-Abdallah, a playwright and a former Minister of Education, described the inadequate publications in the local languages as unfortunate, saying that the problem was beyond just publishing.
"What is the point in publishing in local languages when schools and parents do not allow children to speak vernacular, let alone read it?" he asked.
He called for a stakeholders’ forum to discuss whether the teaching of local languages in schools should not be encouraged.
Bill Marshall, a playwright and novelist, observed that the quality of writers of local languages was an issue of concern, adding that if the publication in the local languages was to be taken serious, then the quality of writers should be improved.
Annelies Schwarz, a German novelist, speaking on intercultural dialogue, stressed the need for language barriers to be broken for an effective dialogue to take place.
That, she said, could be achieved through good translations of literary works into other foreign languages for publication.
Kwesi P. Anim-Addo, novelist, in his presentation on the topic "The relevance of literature in modern African society", urged African writers to use their literary works to positively influence the development of Africans by inspiring them to seek appropriate solutions to challenges that is confronting the continent.
"The African society is undergoing rapid modernisation, and the writer’s role is no less significant," he said.
At the end of the meeting, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between PAWA and GWU for further collaboration and strengthening of the cultural and artistic bond between the writers of their respective associations in Africa and Germany.
Among other things, the agreement enjoins the PAWA and GWU to engage in translation, publication, promotion, distribution, marketing and sale of each other’s literary works in their respective markets, as well as collaborate for joint publications and other literary activities.
Saturday, 16 February 2008
The challenges facing writers in the literature industry, especially in Africa, were the focus of discussion at a two-day historic meeting between the Pan-African Writers Association (PAWA) and the German Writers Union (GWU) in Accra that began last Sunday.
The problems confronting the writers include difficulties in securing publishers for the works, poor marketing and distributions structures and distortions in translations and low patronage.
However the challenges discussed did not take away the beauty of the historic meeting and its purpose of creating a platform for intercultural dialogue and collaboration between the two groups towards promoting the literary industry as well as improving the welfare of writers in Africa and Germany.
The meeting which set a good foundation for an effective cooperation between African and German writers had the theme: "Writers meeting in Accra: looking ahead."
Organised in collaboration with the Ghana Association of Writers and with support from the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the meeting was also attended by leaders of the two bodies, renowned writers, critics and poets from Ghana, South Africa and Germany.
And the meeting did look ahead judging from discussions which sought identify shortfalls in the literature industry and develop ways to address them for the industry to effectively play its role in socio-economic development on nations.
Some of the topics were the "Relevance of literature in modern African society," "The rights of writers," "The role of Writers’ Associations" and "Intercultural dialogue."
Manu Herbstein, a distinguished novelist from South Africa, in his presentation on the rights of writers, illustrated the frustrations writers go through to secure publishers for their works.
For instance, he said it took him many years of failed promises from publishers before he got his award-winning book, "AMA, The story of the Atlantic Slave Trade"published.
Professor Atukwei Okai, Secretary-General of PAWA, described Mr. Herbstein’s frustrations with AMA, as the tip of the iceberg.
"There are many problems facing writers in Africa," he said, adding that in Ghana for instance, "publishers are bent on concentrating their resources in a hunt for government guaranteed textbooks at the expense of the development of general literature."
Imre Torok, President of GWU, who led the German team to the meeting, suggested that the PAWA should find ways of engaging publishers for enhanced collaboration for the publishers to understand the need to support writers.
He said in Germany, there was a high level of collaboration between the two parties, thereby providing a framework ensuring that publishers were enjoined to publish for writers work.
For his part, Setheli Ashong-Katai, a poet, said it was time for writers to institute measures to establish their own publishing house to avoid such frustrations.
"If we pull our resources together, we will realise that publishing is not all that expensive rather than continuously mourning over frustrations," he told his colleagues.
On the issue of publishing in local language, the participants were of the view that there was a need for African governments to make deliberate efforts to increase the use of local languages which reflect the identity of Africans, otherwise the languages will become extinct.
Dr. Mohammed Ben-Abdallah, a playwright and a former Minister of Education, described the inadequate publications in the local languages as unfortunate, saying that the problem was beyond just publishing.
"What is the point in publishing in local languages when schools and parents do not allow children to speak vernacular, let alone read it?" he asked.
He called for a stakeholders’ forum to discuss whether the teaching of local languages in schools should not be encouraged.
Bill Marshall, a playwright and novelist, observed that the quality of writers of local languages was an issue of concern, adding that if the publication in the local languages was to be taken serious, then the quality of writers should be improved.
Annelies Schwarz, a German novelist, speaking on intercultural dialogue, stressed the need for language barriers to be broken for an effective dialogue to take place.
That, she said, could be achieved through good translations of literary works into other foreign languages for publication.
Kwesi P. Anim-Addo, novelist, in his presentation on the topic "The relevance of literature in modern African society", urged African writers to use their literary works to positively influence the development of Africans by inspiring them to seek appropriate solutions to challenges that is confronting the continent.
"The African society is undergoing rapid modernisation, and the writer’s role is no less significant," he said.
At the end of the meeting, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between PAWA and GWU for further collaboration and strengthening of the cultural and artistic bond between the writers of their respective associations in Africa and Germany.
Among other things, the agreement enjoins the PAWA and GWU to engage in translation, publication, promotion, distribution, marketing and sale of each other’s literary works in their respective markets, as well as collaborate for joint publications and other literary activities.
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